Walmart calls for "strong climate policy now," backs campaign to kill strong climate policy
Welcome to Popular Information, a newsletter about politics and power — written by me, Judd Legum. In a new post on LinkedIn, Walmart's Chief Sustainability Officer, Kathleen McLaughlin, underscored the company's commitment to addressing climate change. But McLaughlin noted, correctly, that "even the most ambitious voluntary individual and collective actions are not sufficient" and "[b]old domestic climate policy action is needed now if we are to meet the demands of this generational moment." McLaughlin went on to say that effective climate policies are included in the reconciliation package pending before Congress:
The centerpiece of the climate policy in the reconciliation bill is the Clean Energy Standard. The proposal would allocate about $150 billion to incentivize utilities to shift to cleaner sources of power. The goal of the Clean Energy Standard in the reconciliation package would be to reduce carbon emissions from the power sector by 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. While McLaughlin is urging Congress to "act now and with urgency," her boss, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, is leading a multi-million dollar campaign to defeat the reconciliation package. McMillon is the current chair of the Business Roundtable, a group of influential CEOs who are participating in a "massive lobbying blitz" to kill the reconciliation package and its Clean Energy Standard. In a press release this week which featured quotes from McMillon, the Business Roundtable said its efforts to defeat the reconciliation bill would include "direct CEO engagement to Capitol Hill and the Administration, as well as high-frequency radio print and digital ads in over 50 media markets across the country, generating calls and letters from constituents in target states." Walmart is also part of another well-funded campaign to defeat the reconciliation bill by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Walmart did not respond to Popular Information's request for comment. GM endorses reconciliation bill; GM CEO takes over Business RoundtableGM released a statement on Tuesday officially endorsing the reconciliation bill, also known as the "Build Back Better" plan. The company says that the bill presents a "once-in-a-generation opportunity for our nation."
On Wednesday, the Business Roundtable announced that GM CEO Mary Barra would be its incoming Chair in 2022. .@GM Chair & CEO Mary Barra elected incoming Chair of Business Roundtable for a two-year term beginning on January 1, 2022. Read the press release: businessroundtable.org/general-motors… Soon, Barra will lead a company that says the reconciliation bill is "critical" and a lobbying organization doing everything possible to defeat it. The media coverage of Barra's appointment ignored this contradiction. Under increased scrutiny, Apple stays silentWalmart's conduct is similar to Apple's contradictory approach. Apple's VP for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, Lisa Jackson, put out a statement supporting "the enactment of a Clean Energy Standard (CES) that would decarbonize the power sector by 2035." This is the exact policy in the reconciliation bill. Jackson called taking action on this issue "urgent." But, as Popular Information reported earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook sits on the board of the Business Roundtable. So Apple is describing the climate provisions of the reconciliation bill as "urgent" while also participating in a campaign to kill the legislation. Apple did not respond to our request for comment but Popular Information's reporting caught the attention of MSNBC's Chris Hayes. On his program Tuesday night, Hayes said Apple also ignored MSNBC's inquiry:
Manchin snaps at reporter who asked about his financial conflictsThe reconciliation bill does not need any Republican votes to become law. But it is opposed by Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and a handful of other Democrats. On Wednesday, Manchin released a lengthy statement criticizing the bill seeks to "vengfully tax" in pursuit of "wishful spending." The statement did not get into specifics because the specifics are very popular. Manchin did not mention it, but he reportedly also objects to the climate provisions in the bill, which would transition the energy sector away from fossil fuels by 2035. Manchin wants a policy that would give "a lifeline to the fossil fuel industry." As Popular Information reported earlier this month, Manchin has a financial conflict. He continues to hold an ownership stake in two coal companies that would likely be put out of business if the country stopped generating power from coal. Manchin has recieved hundreds of thousands of dollars in dividends from these holdings since he became a Senator. Manchin was confronted on Wednesday by Bloomberg's Ari Natter about his financial interest in fossil fuels. It quickly got testy: MANCHIN asked by @AriNatter whether an energy company he founded is a conflict of interest as he negotiates reconciliation:
MANCHIN: "I've been in a blind trust for 20 years, I have no idea what they're doing.
Ari: You're still getting dividends.
MANCHIN: "You got a problem?" When Natter brought up that Manchin's son runs the companies, Manchin snapped back: "You'd do best to change the subject." Earlier this year a senior ExxonMobil lobbyist was caught on camera bragging that he spoke with Manchin's office weekly. Manchin said these claims were exaggerated. Over the last week, ExxonMobil has spend $275,000 on Facebook ads opposing the reconciliation bill. Many of the nation's largest media outlets are owned by corporations that are participating in the lobbying campaign detailed in today's newsletter. Popular Information, on the other hand, has no corporate overlord. That gives us the freedom to provide you with the unvarnished truth. You can support our independent accountability journalism — and help us do more of it — with a paid subscription. To stay completely independent, Popular Information accepts no advertising. This newsletter only exists because of the support of readers like you. |
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